2009 Fire Assessment HELP Program

H.E.L.P. Is Available for City's Fire Rescue Assessment
Application Deadline Is November 1, 2009

A provision of the City of Boynton Beach's Fire Rescue Assessment provides for financial assistance to qualified individuals who may have difficulty in paying all or part of the assessment. The H.E.L.P. program – Hardship Extension Loan Program – offers the following types of assistance, based on need: Relief from all payments of the annual assessment; relief from a portion of payments; deferral of payments; or deferral of a portion of payments.

Individuals who are eligible for H.E.L.P. assistance include:

• residential property owners who meet 2009 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Poverty Guidelines;
• residential property owners who are exempt from ad valorem taxation because they are totally disabled veterans or surviving spouses of veterans, disabled veterans confined to wheelchairs or totally and permanently disabled persons;
• residential property owners that qualify for the additional homestead exemption for persons 65 and over;
• and residential property owners that are qualified under the Florida Homestead Property Tax Deferral Act.

An application for a waiver or deferral must be filed with the City on or before Nov. 1, 2009, to be considered.

Download Hardship Application 2009-2010 (41 kb, PDF)

Applications are also available at all City facilities, or by calling (561) 742-6060. The applicant must provide documentation showing eligibility for the waiver or deferral through one of the above criteria and also include a copy of the tax bill for the subject property and describe the facts and circumstances of the hardship.

Once received, the application will be reviewed by a Hardship Waiver Review Committee. The committee will provide a written decision to the applicant and if a partial or total waiver of the assessment is granted, the City will provide proper documentation to the Tax Collector's office.

For more information, call (561) 742-6310.